


Your Ears Are Just A China Shop

by elunore



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Deaf Character, Deaf Mikey Way, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-04-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 11:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3726316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elunore/pseuds/elunore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by the tumblr post "Sld fic where Mikey is deaf and during Warped ‘05 Pete and Mikey communicate with a notebook and a pen and after Warped Pete learns sign language so he can properly communicate with Mikey when they meet again in the future"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Ears Are Just A China Shop

Pete first saw Mikey during My Chem’s first set on Warped. He was familiar with the band’s music but had never gotten deep enough into them to learn anyone but Gerard’s name (Let’s face it, it was basically impossible not to know who Gerard Way was. He was on national news practically every other day being called out by some right-wing Christian conservative group for starting a cult and turning good, God-fearing kids into worshipers of the Devil, sex, drugs, and rock and roll). But when My Chem came out onto the stage, Pete frantically leaned over and began shouting into Patrick’s ear, “Who’s the bassist?”

After a lot of shouting and gesturing on Pete’s part, Patrick yelled back, “That’s Mikey Way, Gerard’s little brother.”

Gerard had a little brother? Pete should have made the connection. Now that Patrick had pointed it out he saw the similarities between the Way brothers: The same nose, the same sharp jaw. But something about Mikey Way drew Pete in like Gerard had never done.

“We’ve got to meet them!” Pete shouted back to Patrick.

Patrick shoved Pete away from his ear, but nodded anyway.

After My Chem’s set ended Pete and Patrick fought their way backstage. Pete frantically looking for the bassist. Instead Patrick pulled Pete over to Gerard who was guzzling water, trying to cool off from the blistering sun.

Patrick greeted Gerard introducing Pete and then raving about their set, Pete joined in half-heartedly, still scanning backstage for Mikey Way and finally seeing him in a back corner, gently setting his bass down in a case. Pete mumbled some excuse about why he was leaving and then wandered over to Mikey, sitting down on the ground next to him.

“Hey Mikey, that was awesome,” Pete said, “I’m Pete, from Fall Out Boy?”

Mikey didn’t even look up at him and Pete scooted closer, “Hello? Mikey Way?” Before tapping Mikey on the shoulder, finally causing the man to look up and give a half-hearted wave.

Pete said again, “I’m Pete Wentz.”

Mikey nodded and didn’t say anything.

Pete’s eyesbrows furrowed, “You okay man?”

Mikey nodded then tapped his ear, shrugging.

“What does that mean?”

Gerard had noticed Pete and Mikey and came over with Patrick trailing behind him, “Mikey’s deaf.”

Pete was so confused, “Then how does he play bass?”

“Ask him. He’s right there,” Gerard said.

Pete blushed and turned back to Mikey whose hands moved and Pete watched them with rapt attention before Gerard cut in, “You don’t need to hear to play an instrument. It’s just vibration. I’m probably better than you at it anyway.”  
-  
Pete thrust the notebook into Mikey’s hands. It was just a basic black and white composition notebook, but it would do the trick. Mikey took the notebook gingerly in his hands as if it’d fall apart any second. Pete held up a finger and began patting at his pockets before he pulled out a pen and handed that to Mikey too.

Mikey blankly looked up at Pete and then back down at the notebook and pen in his hands before opening it and flipping through the empty pages, confused at what Pete was trying to do. When he realized this Mikey’s hands twitched as if he was about to start signing and then remembered that Pete didn’t have the first clue about signing.

Pete grabbed the notebook from Mikey’s lap and flipped back to the first page, writing _Since I don’t know sign language, this way I can talk to you without using Gerard as an interpreter._

Pete handed the notebook and pen back to Mikey.

Mikey wrote beneath Pete’s scrawled words (in a much neater script), _What’s wrong with using Gee as an interpreter?_

 _Sometimes I just wanna talk to you_ , Pete wrote back, _Not talk to Gee talking to you._

-

Mikey told Pete the sign he and Gee had been using for him not long after they started using the notebook to talk.

 _How do I sign ‘Pete’?_ Pete was asking Mikey how to sign all sorts of things. He wanted to know how to talk easily with Mikey without a pen and paper between them, as much as a pen and paper helped, it made everything feel like it was going through a filter. It didn’t feel as honest.

Mikey signed it slowly for Pete, _P…e…t…e,_ nodding when Pete did each handshape correctly _._ And then wrote in the notebook, _People don’t sign out names like that though, we get name signs. Like Gee’s is pretty, but with the G handshape cause Mom said he was a pretty baby._ Mikey slid the notebook to Pete and then showed him the sign, circling his face with his finger. _But then I started calling him art with G when we got a little older and he never went anywhere without a sketchbook I guess._ Mikey showed Pete the other sign, using one hand as a pallet and pretending to draw with the other. Pete signed each word with Mikey.

_What’s your sign?_

_Quiet with one hand and a M._

Pete signed Mikey’s name with him, signing it a few times with Mikey until he got the movement right.

_Do I have a name?_

Mikey’s cheeks flushed, so slightly against his pale skin that Pete almost missed it, _It’s one handed blush with a P._

_Blush?_

_When we first met you, Gee saw me blushing and he named you._  
-  
The first time Pete and Mikey had sex was amazing. Better than amazing actually. Set aside the fact Miley occasionally had to tug on Pete’s hair to get him to look up from his spot camping out in Mikey’s lap to see Mikey’s hands signing frantically. At this point, Pete was still total shit at sign language, but even he could make out the blur of Mikey’s hands signing _More, Pete, more, please, please, please_. And then Pete had to take his mouth off of what he had deemed the absolute best cock he had ever had in his mouth to tease Mikey further.

“Are you sure about that Mikes?” Pete angled his face up towards Mikey, placing his hand on Mikey’s cock and pumping slowly, fondling his balls with his other hand, sorely missing it in his mouth.

Mikey nodded furiously, gasping and bucking into Pete’s hand. Pete placed a kiss on Mikey’s thigh and then Pete left him entirely. Leaving to go dig through his bag to grab a condom and lube before returning to the hotel bed with snow white sheets.  
-  
The second Warped Tour ended, Pete decided to find someone to teach him sign language. When he couldn’t he went online, scouring the internet for video dictionaries and watching people sign at a camera with subtitles, copying their every hand gesture and facial expression. Trying desperately to cram in grammar and syntax and wrap his mind around the interpretation required for even basic sentences.

ASL turned into something like Pete’s enemy.

It plagued his every waking thought and every dream until he couldn’t help but have his hands twitch out the words he spoke even when he talked to someone who could hear. He poured over books, learning and practicing new signs to himself late each night.

Pete still kept in touch with Mikey, not telling him he was learning to sign, but through texts they grew even closer. Where writing words down in a notebook created a filter between them, texting tore it down and crushed it underfoot. Pete always felt more like he could be himself over text and it seemed like Mikey felt the same way.

Pete got so obsessed with learning new signs that Patrick even became occasionally annoyed with it.

-

Pete ran through the airport lobby, crashing into Mikey the second he walked through security.

“Missed you so much Mikey,” Pete mumbled into Mikey’s neck, clutching onto him tightly. Pete squeezed him again before letting go and stepping back while signing, _I missed you._

Mikey signed back, _Good signing, you’ve been practicing?_

Pete nodded and Mikey grinned, _How much can you sign?_

_Some. Mostly basic stuff, I’m getting better though._

_God, Pete, I missed you so much,_ Mikey pulled Pete into his arms.

-

Mikey was the first to spot it.

He grabbed Pete’s arm, jerking him to a stop in a disgusting convenience store somewhere in the middle of LA and pointed urgently. It was a magazine cover that had a photo of Pete and Mikey walking out of what Pete knew was Mikey’s apartment building. He even remembered the day the paparazzi must’ve taken it. A week or two ago when Pete had finally finished up a European tour with Fall Out Boy and had gone straight to Mikey’s rather than his own apartment. In fact, Pete had been considering just selling his own apartment and just moving into Mikey’s full time, God knew he barely went to his apartment longer than to grab a few changes of clothes once in a blue moon, more often than not he either just did laundry at Mikey’s or just stole some of his clothes to wear (and to be honest, neither Pete or Mikey really minded that Mikey was just a size or two smaller than Pete so everything Pete wore of his was a little bit too tight or rode up a little bit too much when Pete stretched.)

 _It says we’re having a ‘love affair,’ I thought it was only an affair if one of us is cheating. Is there someone else Pete?_ Mikey joked, _Are you finally cheating on me with Patrick?_

Pete laughed and signed back, _No matter how much I lusted over Patrick’s dick, you’re the only one for me Mikey._

_Damn right._

They bought the magazine and burned it in a crystal dish on Mikey’s kitchen table, creating a disgusting burnt plastic smell and nearly setting off the smoke alarm. When it’s remains were just a charred and blackened mess, he leaned over and kissed Pete, lazily signing _I love you._


End file.
